Flames of Eternity // George Weasley

28. The First Task

Song for this chapter ~ The River by AURORA

{t.w. mild depictions of gore}

*all characters in this chapter who are under the influence of alcohol are of age*

Calista's POV

"Hey, wake up. It's time."

A low whisper next to my ear and a firm grasp to my arm was enough to get me to stir as I lay in bed. "It's so late George...I'm too tired," I mumbled, my eyes refusing to open up even in the darkness.

"I told you to stay awake— c'mon, you'll never get to see something like this up close."

A loud snore suddenly emanated from one of the beds, pulling me out of my slumber almost instantaneously.

"Fine," I sighed loudly, propping myself up from the bed as I now peered around the dimly lit room to see George pulling on a jumper.

I let out a silent yawn before rubbing my eyes and climbing out of bed, shuffling my feet across the room to put on my slippers. "You'll need your trainers for where we're headed," he murmured, looking down at me.

"George, I am not going outside— it's freezing," I groaned, throwing my slippers off anyways and reaching for my shoes instead.

"This should keep you warm then," he spoke, reaching for the top of his dresser where one of his knitted jumpers lay. He walked up to where I stood, centimetres away from my body before pulling the jumper over my head, his familiar and comforting scent filling my nostrils.

"Ready?" he asked after finishing pulling my arms through the long sleeves. I gave him a sleepy nod before he began to drag me along with him.

As we made our way out of the common room all the way until we reached the courtyard, George stopped momentarily and looked down at my bare legs. "Don't complain that you're cold when you've come out in shorts," he sniggered, finally pulling me outside and continuing at a quickened pace.

"So, are you going to tell me yet what this is all about?" I finally questioned him.

"It has to do with the first task. Remember when I was trying to figure out why Charlie was coming to Hogwarts this year?"

I nodded my head in acknowledgment, hiding a frown at the mention of his older brother. As much as I tried avoiding the mere thought of Charlie, I knew that his stay at Hogwarts would come eventually.

"He wrote to us yesterday and told us about it. Said he'd be arriving tonight with them," he muttered, as we now walked across the grass, heading into the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Them?" I questioned him nervously, approaching the edge of the forest before hearing loud rumbling noises reverberating throughout the dark path.

"You'll see," he smirked, guiding me by my back as we continued to walk through the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.

Within a few minutes, the sounds from earlier before became more clear, a loud roaring that sounded similar to large gusts of wind joining in along with it. Although it was still a distance away from where we now stood, I could make out the glowing amber flames that would sporadically make an appearance through the trees.

"Did I just see— was that—" I whipped my head to face George who now gave me a look of excitement, nodding his head at me. "Is this one of yours and Fred's pranks that just end up in me looking really stupid? There's no way they've brought real dragons to the school."